The Crew of the Freedon
Real Name: Lisa Lynn Bishop, seven others whose names are unrevealed Nicknames: No Known Nicknames Location: Miami, Florida Date: December 1988 Bio Occupation: Journalism student Date of Birth: 1965 Height: 5' 4" Weight: 105 Marital Status: Dating Characteristics: Blond hair, green eyes Case Details: The Freedon was an eighty-two-foot tramp freighter that carried its twenty-eight-year-old captain, Florian Meyer-Bourch, twenty-three-year-old journalism student Lisa Bishop, and a crew of seven Haitians. Lisa was planning on writing a story about the World Bank and the economic contrasts between the United States and Haiti. Lisa met Meyer-Bourch at the Metroplex club in Atlanta, Georgia, which was owned by her boyfriend of three years, Paul Cornwell. Lisa worked there as the manager of the bar. Meyer-Bourch told Lisa about the trip around the Caribbean to Haiti and asked her if she wanted to go; she accepted. Paul was upset when she told him about their trip; however, she claimed that there was nothing romantic between her and Meyer-Bourch. The ship set sail from Miami at around 2:30 pm on December 17, 1988, but it never arrived in Gonaives, Haiti. When Lisa did not call Paul or her parents on Christmas Day, they became concerned. They, along with the family members of the other crew members, contacted the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard searched for the freighter for several days, but no trace of it was found. However, in April of 1989, an underwater salvager named Bob Nyberg read an article about the Freedon and realized that he had seen the ship in Georgetown Harbor on Grand Cayman Island, over 500 miles from Haiti and two weeks after it was reported missing. It is unknown where the ship went after Bob's sighting, but it gave the Bishops hope that Lisa was still alive. In May of 1989, Paul Cornwell and Bob Nyberg went to Grand Cayman and found that Florian Meyer-Bourch was reported to be seen alive around the time of Nyberg's sighting, and was in the company of an unidentified man. When Paul returned to Miami, he went to visit a woman who had been storing Meyer-Bourch's personal belongings. The woman suggested that the man seen with Meyer-Bourch could be a man named Phillippe from Haiti, who had chartered the Freedon. The woman said that Phillippe may have been involved in smuggling operations. Before Bob and Paul could investigate further, Meyer-Bourch was gone again. There has been heavy speculation that Meyer-Bourch and possibly Phillippe could be involved in smuggling; Meyer-Bourch is still wanted for questioning in Lisa's whereabouts. The Bishops still hope that they will one day find their daughter and find out what happened to her. The whereabouts of Lisa Bishop, Florian Meyer-Bourch, and the other crew members remain unknown. Suspects: Florian Meyer Bourch is considered a possible suspect in Lisa's disappearance, along with the disappearances of the other crew members. Phillippe may also be involved in the disappearances. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the October 17, 1990 episode. Results: Unsolved. There have been several reported sightings of the Freedon over the years; however, none of these sightings have ever been confirmed. Family members of the Haitian crew members have stated that they have not heard from the crew since 1988. Florian Meyer-Bourch's parents have also stated that they have not heard from him since the 1988 disappearance of the Freedon. Although this suggests that the Freedon may have actually sank, but no trace of it has ever been found. Links: * Lisa Bishop on Unsolved.com * Reddit post on the Crew of the Freedon ---- Category: Florida Category: Haiti Category: Caribbean Category: 1989 Category: Unsolved Category: Disappearances Category: Sea-Related Cases